The Hindu : Front Page : An impromptu Q&A with Dr. Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 10, 2005

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An impromptu Q&A with Dr. Singh

N. Ram

ON BOARD AIR INDIA ONE: In a short but fairly wide-ranging on-the-record conversation with journalists on board the special flight, Air India One, returning home from London, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh answered these questions:

Farm export subsidies

Question: What did you expect on the withdrawal of export subsidies by the developed countries?

Dr.Singh: Well, I think we want them to get rid of the subsidies in agriculture. But our concerns in India are somewhat different from many other agricultural exporting countries. We would like, while liberalising the agriculture trade for the benefit of other developing countries, to safeguard food security. And we are a country of small and marginal farmers. Nothing should be done which hurts our ability to protect and safeguard the interests of small and marginal farmers.

EU wants a commitment from developing countries to reduce industrial tariffs as a tradeoff for a commitment to eliminate farm export subsidies.

It's too early to say. There are differences between the United States and the European Union. As far as the developing countries are concerned, we are hopeful of building a sustained consensus as to what line we should take.

Fight against terrorism

Did the fight against terrorism figure in this G8 meeting?

Well, the first two hours were on that. And Prime Minister Blair said that he was going to issue a statement that the13 of us should join. I think that was a very powerful way in which people stood together.

Iran gas pipeline

When you visit the United States next week, the issue of the Iran gas pipeline is bound to come up.

This is an affair between Iran and us and Pakistan. If the three countries agree, that should be the end of the matter.

Have they been saying, `You drop this one and we will give you this?'

We are not a client state!

Agenda of U.S. visit

With this atmosphere you had at G8 and with President Bush responding positively to what you said [on climate change and nuclear energy], do you have any expectations from America for your visit next week?

Well, let me say I'm not going with any demands. I want to explain to the U.S. Government, to the U.S. Congress what our aspirations are. The bulk of resources for India's development has always been mobilised locally. We will always be content. We don't want to be internationally a supplicant!

You will be discussing nuclear matters, energy cooperation, and so on. But if the international system is more accommodative...

I think that is all that we expect.

Do you think the nuclear suppliers group will change the conditions?

I have been in this game long enough to recognise that there are strong vested interests. Nobody gives up power voluntarily. But the three times I have talked to President Bush, he said, `yes, India needs to be helped in the field of nuclear energy.' I quoted him at the [G8] meeting in my introduction and he said, `yes, I agree.'

ITER and Galileo

What does India seek to do on ITER [the experimental multinational fusion power project] and the Galileo [global navigation satellite system] project?

We are going to apply for [ITER] membership. I raised it with the French President and he said they would be very supportive. The British are very supportive. The last time when I was with the EU Summit, we discussed the Galileo navigation projects. The then chairman, the Dutch Prime Minister, said they welcomed India's participation.

Why should we invest in both Galileo and Glasnost, the Russian project?

One needs options. Technology is not static.

Meeting with Left

Tomorrow, you are meeting the Left leaders. There have been all these issues from disinvestment to India's relations with the U.S. What do you think will happen?

We'll resolve all the issues. As far as the relations between us and the United States are concerned, the defence agreement is an innocuous framework agreement updating the 1994 framework agreement.

How do you see the criticism of the Left on this issue?

Well, I think we will have to explain it to them. They can look at the document itself. It doesn't say anything that is against our national interest. It lists areas where the two countries can cooperate if they want to work together. So that does not mean any surrender of our sovereignty.

What about the disinvestment issue?

We will discuss it with them. I am confident we will be able to resolve it.

But you will continue with the priorities that you have laid out in the CMP on disinvestment?

Well, it's a question of what does the CMP [Common Minimum Programme] say?

How do you interpret that?

We will resolve all these things.

Cabinet reshuffle?

Is there a possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle in the near future?

There's always a possibility.

Before you go to America?

I can't say that.

Oxford days

What did your [Oxford D.Phil] thesis supervisor, Ian Little, have to say to you after all these years, in the context of your doctoral thesis on India's export targets and what you're doing now?

Ian Little is very proud of me.

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